Resident generated news about Lakewood, Colorado
Resident generated news about Lakewood, Colorado
Springsteen Wins Injunction on Emory
Anita Springsteen, former Lakewood City Council Member and attorney, has won an injunction filed against Lakewood. The injunction will pause two upcoming votes on Emory, wherein Lakewood is acting as an agent for the Action Center. It is unclear what, if any, benefit Lakewood will gain through this deal, but it is very clear the city will lose millions. At the same time, the Action Center will gain millions of dollars of property that it could not get without the special privileges of the government middleman. The injunction will pause the vote until after the previously scheduled October 28, 2025, court date.
According to court documents, the court found that:
“4. Pursuant to C.R.C.P. 65(b)(1), based on the facts stated in the motion, the Court finds that unless immediately enjoined, the Defendant’s actions will cause real, immediate and irreparable injury, loss or damage.
5. A Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction against Defendant is hereby Ordinances O-2025-33, O-2025-34, and O2025-35 set for second reading on October 27, 2025.”
Springsteen served Council Members with a subpoena for the October 28 trial while they were on the dais, just prior to the October 13 meeting on zoning. Reportedly, the City Attorney refused to waive service of the subpoenas, which meant Springsteen was forced to serve paper documents.
Public Meetings on Emory
Springsteen tried for an injunction to stop the April vote on buying Emory, but Lakewood went ahead and voted anyway, despite being noticed about the motion. During the April meeting, several Council Members went out of their way to say this was just a first step and the public would have plenty of opportunities to engage. They said this was not a done deal.
What they meant was that the Action Center was still working on setting up financing, not that the city was waiting to hear what residents thought. A public hearing has still not happened. Supporters of the Action Center were notified of several public meetings taking place in Emory itself via email but citywide engagement has not happened.
On September 27, the Action Center held an open meeting which turned into a ward meeting. However, the city did not host the meeting and did not host any dialogue. Staff was available for questions, but it was incumbent upon attendees to find out information themselves. It was very uncomfortable for people who were unfamiliar with the project to have to wade through this process to find someone to give them information. Action Center employees and supporters blended together so that it was hard to distinguish who to talk to.
At that meeting, Anita Springsteen heroically stood in the middle of the almost empty room and asked for a group discussion to benefit others. The result was an awkward huddle with Ward 3 Councilors and Action Center security but it was something for others to listen to.
The October 28 court date is to resolve the allegations of open meetings violations Springsteen filed in November of 2024. At that time, Lakewood City Council held an executive session without posting what the session would be about. The public had no idea City Council would be discussing purchasing schools. Although the negotiation details can remain private by law, the fact the city wanted to buy it was still a matter of public interest.
Jeffco School Board has not disclosed any details, including how much money they will be losing on this deal. They are currently scheduled to have a study session on November 5, just after the election.
Interested parties should email current and future school board officials about their plans for Emory.
City Acting as Agent
Lakewood has shown through the purchase of Vivian how to buy just a piece of property that they want. With Emory, Lakewood is buying the entire school property and selling a piece of it – AT A LOSS – to a third party. Lakewood is acting as an agent for the Action Center in order to get a deal, not for the residents, but for the Action Center.
Any benefits to Lakewood residents are secondary and minor in comparison to the millions in financial benefits that the Action Center is receiving directly and immediately.
Who Benefits?
Who is benefiting from the purchase and sale of Emory? That question is key to these proceedings and is also of interest in the upcoming court case on open meetings. Lakewood claims they didn’t need to announce a specific reason to hold an executive session, such as a specific school purchase. Keeping that announcement works against interested residents, whom Lakewood is supposed to be working for, but it works to the benefit of third parties like the Action Center.
Lakewood Losing Even More Money
Lakewood meeting documents for October 27 confirm a $3 million LOSS for Lakewood. The city will sell Emory to the Action Center for $1 million, after purchasing Emory for $4 million.
The staff memo frames this loss as a good thing, saying that the $1 million received will be used to offset purchasing the current action center. The staff memo doesn’t mention any loss of funds at all. Transparent? Not the least little bit
From the Memo – Budgetary Impact: “The sale proceeds would help offset the cost of purchasing the existing Action Center site“
Lakewood is also losing millions on purchasing the existing Action Center. Ordinance O-2025-33 shows that Lakewood will purchase the existing Action Center at $4 million, not $1 million as previously reported.
Lakewood is not obligated to buy the current Action Center and in any case, a sale could be made outside of this swap. The current Action Center will serve as another city homeless support center.
All of these decisions took place after the inadequately noticed executive session. The lack of full transparency is part of a pattern of behaviour for both Lakewood and Jeffco, who have been working on this deal since around September 2024.
Property Assessments
The existing Action Center is two properties at 8745 and 8755 W. 14th Ave. Jefferson County Assessor Records show:
- 8755 W 14th is valued at $1,287,600
- 8745 W 14th is valued at $848,900
That’s a total valuation of $2,136,500 for which Lakewood will pay $4,000,000.
That’s $1.8 million overpayment, assuming the Action Center could find a buyer. Market assessments of both the existing Action Center and Emory have not been disclosed.
Lakewood officials have previously told the school board they should just give the property to the Action Center. Lakewood is coming close to giving it away themselves, to benefit the Action Center, not the tax-paying residents directly.
